Chirps from Center Ice

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Back for the final day on the eve of the 2017-18 AHL season with a look at the Atlantic Division. If you missed any of the other division previews you can scroll down if you didn’t link in direct or use the drop down menu above.

The only changes in the Atlantic are the reemergence of the Charlotte Checkers, who again come back to the Eastern where they had previously played in the Western Conference and the Central Division. With this being the Penguins home division, expect a lot of dates played against the opponents here, with those games played at home listed in bold.

Let’s wrap it up…

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NHL Affiliation: New York Islanders

Record: 44-28-3-1 (92 pts., 5th place Atlantic Division)

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: Brent Thompson

Arena: Webster Bank Arena

ECHL Affiliation: Worcester Railers

Offseason Moves: Seth Helgeson

The Case For: The 92 points that the Sound Tigers finished 2016-17 with would have won the North Division and cemented themselves firmly in the Calder Cup Playoffs but since they played in the most competitive division in the AHL, they were left out. Does Bridgeport come roaring back with a vengeance and lay the hammer to the rest of the division?

The Case Against: Answer is probably no.

Social Media: @TheSoundTigers // /soundtigers // soundtigers

Broadcaster: Alan Fuehring

vs. WBS: 10/28, 12/16, 1/3, 3/25, 4/6, 4/8

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NHL Affiliation: Carolina Hurricanes

Record: 39-29-7-1 (86 pts., 4th place Central Division)

Playoffs: Lost in Round 1 in five games to the Chicago Wolves.

Head Coach: Mike Vellucci

Arena: Bojangles Coliseum

ECHL Affiliation: Florida Everblades

Offseason Moves: Martin Ouellette, Jeremy Smith, Zack Stortini, Matt Finn, Brenden Kichton

The Case For: Charlotte returns back to the Eastern Conference after bouncing around and around in divisions in the Western Conference. They are coming in as a playoff team last year from a loaded Central Division.

The Case Against: The four teams favorited for playoffs have already penciled in in the Atlantic. Charlotte, while they may be a darkhorse, doesn’t look like one of them.

Social Media: @CheckersHockey // /charlottecheckers // checkershockey

Broadcaster: Jason Shaya

vs. WBS: 10/7, 12/8, 3/13, 3/14

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NHL Affiliation: New York Rangers

Record: 24-46-4-2 (54 pts., 7th place Atlantic Division)

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: Keith McCambridge

Arena: XL Center

ECHL Affiliation: Greenville Swamp Rabbits

Offseason Moves: Paul Carey, Cole Schneider, Scott Kosmachuk, Ryan Bourque

The Case For: Only place to go is up for this last place team. Decent signings should ensure that last year’s result will not replicate itself in 2017-18.

The Case Against: Up? How far? Playoffs? Don’t think so.

Social Media: @WolfpackAHL // /HartfoedWolfPack // hartford_wolfpack

Broadcaster: Bob Crawford

vs. WBS: 10/21, 12/15, 12/29, 1/21, 3/17, 3/30

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NHL Affiliation: Washington Capitals

Record: 43-22-8-3 (97 pts., 3th place Atlantic Division)

Playoffs: Lost in Round 2 in seven games to the Providence Bruins.

Head Coach: Troy Mann

Arena: Giant Center

ECHL Affiliation: South Carolina Stingrays

Offseason Moves: Paul Geiger, Tyler Graovac, Wayne Simpson, Anthony Peluso

The Case For: Arms race between Lehigh Valley and Wilkes-Barre, Hershey calmly went through summer making signings which should bolster an always strong Bears side. Oh, they also locked up the services of future Hall of Famer Chris Bourque for another season.

The Case Against: May be the third best team. In Pennsylvania.

Social Media: @TheHersheyBears // /TheHersheyBears // thehersheybears

Broadcaster: Zack Fisch

vs. WBS: 10/27, 11/5, 11/12, 12/3, 12/10, 12/30, 1/24, 2/2, 2/25, 3/18, 4/3, 4/15

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NHL Affiliation: Philadelphia Flyers

Record: 48-23-5-0 (101 pts., 2nd place Atlantic Division)

Playoffs: Lost in Round 1 in five games to the Hershey Bears.

Head Coach: Scott Gordon

Arena: PPL Center

ECHL Affiliation: Reading Royals

Offseason Moves: Phil Varone, John Muse, Derek Hulak

The Case For: Phantoms returned a huge lot of their corps from last season who gave in state teams fits. Are locked and loaded for a bunch of wins and possibly a long playoff run.

The Case Against: Healthy doses of Wilkes-Barre and Hershey, coupled with visits from those North Division teams may wear down the Phantoms enough that they miss, but don’t bank on it.

Social Media: @LVPhantoms // /lehighvalleyphantoms // lehighvalleyphantoms

Broadcaster: Bob Rotruck

vs. WBS: 10/13, 10/14, 11/3, 11/22, 12/6, 12/23, 12/27, 1/17, 1/26, 2/3, 2/18, 4/14

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NHL Affiliation: Boston Bruins

Record: 43-23-6-4 (96 pts., 4th place Atlantic Division)

Playoffs: Lost in Round 3 in five games to the Syracuse Crunch.

Head Coach: Jay Leach

Arena: Dunkin’ Donuts Center

ECHL Affiliation: Atlanta Gladiators

Offseason Moves: Teddy Purcell, Kenny Agostino

The Case For: Playing an already stingy style of hockey that lost out to a trip to the Calder Cup Finals, Providence makes a few good signings this season and it looks like will start with the services of reigning AHL MVP Kenny Agostino. You want a dark horse Calder Cup contender? Look no further.

The Case Against: Seemed like every team that the Bruins play this year made upgrades. You still have to play these games, so nothing is a given till the trophy is passed out.

Social Media: @AHLBruins // /providencebruins // ahlbruins

Broadcaster: TBA

vs. WBS: 11/11, 1/19, 2/9, 2/11, 3/28, 3/31

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NHL Affiliation: Florida Panthers

Record: 32-33-9-2 (75 pts., 6th place Atlantic Division)

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: Geordie Kinnear

Arena: MassMutual Center

ECHL Affiliation: None.

Offseason Moves: Harri Sateri, Curtis Valk, Alex Grenier, Connor Brickley

The Case For: We have talked about sleeper teams in all of these previews, so count Springfield as one of those.

The Case Against: Thunderbirds have a lot of work to do if they want to be considered a contender.

Social Media: @ThunderbirdsAHL // /thunderbirdsahl // thnderbirdsahl

Broadcaster: Ryan Smith

vs. WBS: 12/13, 1/5, 2/7, 4/13

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NHL Affiliation: Pittsburgh Penguins

Record: 51-20-3-2 (107 pts., 1st place Atlantic Division)

Playoffs: Lost in Round 1 in five games to the Providence Bruins.

Head Coach: Clark Donatelli

Arena: Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza

ECHL Affiliation: Wheeling Nailers

Offseason Moves: Christian Thomas, Kevin Czuczman, Colin Smith, Greg McKegg, Jarred Tinordi, Zach Trotman

The Case For: Could be better than last year, if that is imaginable. Lots of firepower up front, retooled, even better defense and two goalies who were best tops in the league which will be trying to outdo each other for the backup spot in Pittsburgh in 2018-19.

The Case Against: Normally this team is stripped away by injuries. Playoffs have become a norm around these parts, but never has that gotten them to the Promised Land.

Social Media: @WBSPenguins // /WilkesBarreScrantonPenguins // wbspenguins

Broadcaster: Mike O’Brien and Nick Hart

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Thanks for reading these previews. These are fun to put together and share year after year. If you have a team going Friday, good luck and have a great season!

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Back for the penultimate day of the Chirps from Center Ice AHL Previews. If you missed the Pacific on Monday or the Central yesterday, you can scroll down or head to the top of the blog and use the drop down menu I installed there.

We are in the North Division today and there is lots of shake up in this division. Ottawa moved their prospects from Binghamton to Belleville, Montreal moved from St. John’s to Laval and New Jersey moved from Albany to Binghamton.

Penguins play everyone in this division. Home games listed in bold.

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NHL Affiliation: Ottawa Senators

Record: 28-44-2-2 (60 pts., 7th place North Division playing as the Binghamton Senators)

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: Kurt Kleinendorst

Arena: Yardmen Arena

ECHL Affiliation: None.

Offseason Moves: Max Reinhart, Tyler Randell, Erik Burgdoerfer

The Case For: Last years Binghamton Senators team reincarnate as the Belleville Senators with a fresh look and a new city and venue. If we laid any money on dark horses in the North, smart money is on Belleville.

The Case Against: It may be an uphill battle. Look for an improved Ottawa prospect pool, but one that just misses out on a playoff spot in April.

Social Media: @BellevilleSens // /BellevilleSens // bellevillesens

Broadcaster: TBA

vs. WBS: 1/6, 1/12

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NHL Affiliation: New Jersey Devils

Record: 39-32-2-3 (83 pts., 3rd place North Division playing as the Albany Devils)

Playoffs: Lost in Round 1 in four games to the Toronto Marlies playing as the Albany Devils

Head Coach: Rick Kowalsky

Arena: Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena

ECHL Affiliation: Adirondack Thunder

Offseason Moves: Bracken Kearns, Brian Strait, Mirco Mueller, Tim Erixon

The Case For: Watch out for the BInghamton Devils. They return a large corps of players who got them to playoffs last year and added some big names.

The Case Against: Binghamton is in a pool with a loaded up Rochester team, a Syracuse team that is the defending Eastern Conference champion. The North is shaping up to be a war zone.

Social Media: @BingDevils // /BingDevils // bingdevils

Broadcaster: Rob Lippolis

vs. WBS: 11/17, 12/22, 1/27, 3/9, 3/24, 4/7

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NHL Affiliation: Montreal Canadiens

Record: 36-30-8-2 (82 pts., 4th place North Division playing as the St. John’s IceCaps)

Playoffs: Lost in Round 1 in four games to the Syracuse Crunch

Head Coach: Sylvain Lefebvre

Arena: Place Bell

ECHL Affiliation: Brampton Beast

Offseason Moves: Matt Taormina, Byron Froese, Peter Holland

The Case For: We have a feeling that one of these new Canadian teams in Laval here and Belleville will make playoffs and we are leaning heavily towards the Rocket.

The Case Against: Rocket had a boatload of departures which pushed the IceCaps to a four seed last season. These new guys better be ready to step up.

Social Media: @RocketLaval // /RocketLaval // rocketlaval

Broadcaster: Anthony Marcotte

vs. WBS: 10/20, 1/13

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NHL Affiliation: Buffalo Sabres

Record: 32-41-0-3 (67 pts., 7th place North Division)

Playoffs: Did not qualify

Head Coach: Chris Taylor

Arena: Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial

ECHL Affiliation: Cincinnati Cyclones

Offseason Moves: Kyle Criscuolo, Barry Goers, Sahir Gill, Kevin Porter, Seth Griffith, Adam Wilcox

The Case For: Totally overhauled, retooled roster put in place by a totally overhauled, retooled front office looking to win. Amerks signed big names and big role players and are expecting to jump out of the gate and contend.

The Case Against: Amerks aren’t going to surprise anyone and every team is going to give them their best. Will they be ready to answer the challenge is going to be the number one question.

Social Media: @AmerksHockey // /RochesterAmericans // amerkshockey

Broadcaster: Don Stevens

vs. WBS: 12/2, 2/16

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NHL Affiliation: Tampa Bay Lightning

Record: 38-24-7-7 (90 pts., 1st place North Division)

Playoffs: Lost in the Calder Cup Finals to the Grand Rapids Griffins in six games.

Head Coach: Benoit Groulx

Arena: Oncenter War Memorial Arena

ECHL Affiliation: None.

Offseason Moves: Mat Bodie, Michael Leighton, Reid McNeill, Alex Gallant, Jamie McBain

The Case For: Defending Conference champs reload for another run. We think this is Syracuse’s division to lose.

The Case Against: Too many departures to other teams may be enough of a crack in the foundation to bring the Crunch down a few notches.

Social Media: @SyracuseCrunch // /syracusecrunch // syracusecrunch

Broadcaster: Lukas Favale

vs. WBS: 10/15, 11/24, 11/25, 2/24

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NHL Affiliation: Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 42-29-4-1 (89 pts., 2ns place North Division)

Playoffs: Lost in Round 2 in seven games to the Syracuse Crunch.

Head Coach: Sheldon Keefe

Arena: Ricoh Coliseum

ECHL Affiliation: Orlando Solar Bears

Offseason Moves: Cal Heeter, Vincent LoVerde, Chris Mueller, Max Novak, Josh Winquist

The Case For: Marlies started slow last year and it nearly cost them but they finished second behind the team that knocked them out in seven games. The number one threat to the Crunch in the North may not be Binghamton or Rochester, but Toronto.

The Case Against: Departing players from last year and their absences this season may end up hurting the Marlies.

Social Media: @TorontoMarlies // /TorontoMarlies // torontomarlies

Broadcaster: Todd Crocker

vs. WBS: 11/8, 3/20

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NHL Affiliation: Vancouver Canucks

Record: 35-32-7-2 (79 pts., 5th place North Division)

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: Trent Cull

Arena: Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium

ECHL Affiliation: Kalamazoo Wings

Offseason Moves: Jaime Sifers

The Case For: The Comets always put up a fight and this year should be no different. With the viper pit of the Rochesters, Torontos, Binghamton and Syracuse of the division beating the tar out of one another, Utica could sneak up and claim a playoff spot.

The Case Against: The Comets are more of a team that you expect to be an easy two points for those teams mentioned above vs. the other way around.

Social Media: @UticaComets // /UticaComets // uticacomets

Broadcaster: Andy Zilch

vs. WBS: 2/27, 3/23

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Back tomorrow to wrap up the previews with the Atlantic Division.

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Back for Day 2 here in the Chirpos from Center Ice AHL team previews with a look at the Central Division. A division who loses a team to the Eastern Conference in the Charlotte Checkers. So it’s seven teams for four playoff spots.

The Penguins play the Grand Rapids Griffins, Milwaukee Admirals and the Rockford IceHogs in home and home action this upcoming season. Feels weird to be on Day 2 of the AHL Previews and explain to you that the games against the Penguins at home shall be featured in bold.

Here we go.

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NHL Affiliation: Vegas Golden Knights

Record: 44-19-8-5 (101 pts., 1st place Central Division)

Playoffs: Lost in Round 2 in five games to the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Head Coach: Rocky Thompson

Arena: Allstate Arena

ECHL Affiliation: Quad City Mallards

Offseason Moves: Chris Casto, Paul Thompson, Alex Tuch, T.J. Tynan

The Case For: Wolves should contend this season, as they do every year.

The Case Against: How will serving as the primary affiliate of an expansion NHL franchise affect the Wolves?

Social Media: @ChicagoWolves // /ChicagoWolves // chicagowolveshockey

Broadcaster: Jason Shaver

vs. WBS: Do not play.

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NHL Affiliation: Columbus Blue Jackets

Record: 39-29-4-4 (86 pts., 5th place Central Division)

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: John Madden

Arena: Quicken Loans Arena

ECHL Affiliation: None.

Offseason Moves: Andre Benoit, Carter Camper, Cameron Gaunce

The Case For: Solid offseason moves made by parent Columbus for a Cleveland team that won the Calder Cup two seasons ago and failed to make the playoffs last season.

The Case Against: As with so many teams, will these improvements made by this team be enough to get them back into playoff contention?

Social Media: @MonstersHockey // /MonstersHockey // monstershockey

Broadcaster: Tony Brown

vs. WBS: Do not play.

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NHL Affiliation: Detroit Red Wings

Record: 47-23-1-5 (100 pts., 2nd place Central Division)

Playoffs: Won Calder Cup. Beat Syracuse Crunch in six games.

Head Coach: Todd Nelson

Arena: Van Andel Arena

ECHL Affiliation: Toledo Walleye

Offseason Moves: Turner Elson

The Case For: Defending champs look like a lock for Central Division leaders again. Re-signed a lot of the core that led them to their second Calder Cup.

The Case Against: Defending champs rarely repeat.

Social Media: @griffinshockey // /grgriffins // griffinshockey

Broadcaster: Bob Kaser

vs. WBS: 3/2, 3/10

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NHL Affiliation: Minnesota Wild

Record: 36-31-7-2 (81 pts., 6th place Central Division)

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: Derek Lalonde

Arena: Wells Fargo Arena

ECHL Affiliation: Rapid City Rush

Offseason Moves: Landon Ferraro, Alex Grant, Cal O’Reilly, Ryan Murphy

The Case For: Iowa loaded up this offseason in a big, big way. These signings have got to be enough to get the WIld to the playoffs, don’t they?

The Case Against: They don’t play these games on paper.

Social Media: @IAWild // /IAWild // iowawild

Broadcaster: Joe O’Donnell

vs. WBS: Do not play.

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NHL Affiliation: Winnipeg Jets

Record: 29-37-5-5 (68 pts., 7th place Central Division)

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: Pascal Vincent

Arena: Bell MTS Place

ECHL Affiliation: Jacksonville IceMen

Offseason Moves: Buddy Robinson, Cameron Schilling, Mike Sgarbossa, Brody Sutter

The Case For: Manitoba is going to have to work if they want to improve on their 7th place overall showing they put up in the Central last year. These signings could nudge them to a playoff spot.

The Case Against: There are more people picking Manitoba to finish last they there are to finish first.

Social Media: @ManitobaMoose // /ManitobaMoose // manitobamoose

Broadcaster: Mitch Peacock

vs. WBS: Do not play.

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NHL Affiliation: Nashville Predators

Record: 43-26-4-3 (93 pts., 3rd place Central Division)

Playoffs: Swept in Round 1 in three games by the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Head Coach: Dean Evanson

Arena: UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena

ECHL Affiliation: Norfolk Admirals

Offseason Moves: Bobby Butler, Matt OConnor, P-C Labrie

The Case For: Admirals alway put forth a strong hockey product and this year should be no different.

The Case Against: In a crowded pool of Chicago, Grand Rapids and Iowa, will the Admirals have enough horses to compete for a playoff spot?

Social Media: @mkeadmirals // /mkeadmirals // mkeadmirals

Broadcaster: Aaron Sims

vs. WBS: 12/1, 3/4

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NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks

Record: 25-39-9-3 (62 pts., 8th place Central Division)

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: Jeremy Colliton

Arena: BMO Harris Bank Center

ECHL Affiliation: Indy Fuel

Offseason Moves: J-F Berube, Jordan Oesterle

The Case For: Only way is up for what was a sorry season in Rockford.

The Case Against: Almost feels like they are restarting from the beginning in Rockford, and with the top heavy Central Division, it looks like the IceHogs have an uphill battle against them.

Social Media: @goicehogs // /RockfordIceHogs // rockfordicehogs

Broadcaster: Bob Mills

vs. WBS: 2/23, 3/3

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Back tomorrow for a look at the North Division.

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Back for yet another year are the Chirps from Center Ice AHL Team Previews. I have been doing previews for as long as I have maintained this blog. It’s just my quick snippet of every team in the American Hockey League, broken down into divisions.

I start in the Pacific Division, will have the Central on Tuesday, the North on Wednesday and then the Atlantic on Thursday.

I tweaked some things this year. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are all consolidated in “Social Media Coverage” and I am altogether nixing the media coverage otherwise. Most teams don’t have a full time beat anymore and these newer teams in Laval and Belleville just have general coverage that I have seen so far. If you are a fan of a team not named, “Penguins” that happens to read this blog, you know where to get your team coverage.

One more thing before we start, the St. Louis Blues don’t have a full time affiliate this season. St. Louis is splitting placing their prospects in Chicago and San Antonio. It will balance out next season with 31 NHL teams being serviced by 31 AHL clubs, but not this year.

Here we go, starting in the Pacific. The Penguins don’t play anyone here. Note: The social media tags are Twitter first, Facebook second and Instagram third.

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NHL Affiliation: Edmonton Oilers

Record: 33-29-5-1 (72 pts., 5th place Pacific Division)

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: Gerry Fleming

Arena: Rabobank Arena

ECHL Affiliation: Wichita Thunder

Offseason Moves: Yohann Auvitu, Mitch Callahan, Eddie Pasquale, Ryan Stanton

The Case For: Bringing in proven veterans should bolster the Condors and push for a playoff spot.

The Case Against: Other teams upgraded too, so are the Condors keeping up or catching up?

Social Media: @Condors // /BakersfieldCondors // condors

Broadcaster: Ryan Holt

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NHL Affiliation: Los Angeles Kings

Record: 36-21-10-1 (83 pts., 3rd place Pacific Division)

Playoffs: Lost in Round 1 in five games to the San Diego Gulls.

Head Coach: Mike Stothers

Arena: Citizens Business Bank Arena

ECHL Affiliation: Manchester Monarchs

Offseason Moves: Jamie Devane

The Case For: Ontario always puts out a good product and are extremely well coached. Reign will be looking to get back to the top of the Pacific Division this season.

The Case Against: Pacific looks loaded this year. Reign may not be a top four team this year.

Social Media: @OntarioReign // /ontarioreign // ontarioreignhockey

Broadcaster: Joseph Zakrzewski and Cameron Close

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NHL Affiliation: Colorado Avalanche

Record: 27-42-5-2 (61 pts., 8th place Pacific Division)

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: Eric Veilleux

Arena: AT&T Center

ECHL Affiliation: Colorado Eagles

Offseason Moves: Andrew Agozzino, Sam Britain, Dave Warsofsky

The Case For: Finished dead last in the Pacific last season. Only way to go is up.

The Case Against: May be a lame duck season with the Avalanche with rumors swirling that the ECHL affiliate Colorado Eagles will be the AHL affiliate a year from now. Could be another long year in the Alamo.

Social Media: @sarampage // /sarampagehockey // sarampage

Broadcaster: Dan Weiss

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NHL Affiliation: Anaheim Ducks

Record: 43-20-3-2 (91 pts., 2nd place Pacific Division)

Playoffs: Lost in Round 2 in five games to the San Jose Barracuda.

Head Coach: Dallas Eakins

Arena: Valley View Casino Center

ECHL Affiliation: Utah Grizzlies

Offseason Moves: Reto Berra, Derek Grant, Steve Oleksy

The Case For: Gulls should be a contender out of the box looking to build on last years success and early exit to San Jose.

The Case Against: It feels like it’s San Jose’s division to lose.

Social Media: @SDGullsAHL // /SDGullsAHL // sdgullsahl

Broadcaster: Craig Elsten

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NHL Affiliation: San Jose Sharks

Record: 43-16-4-5 (95 pts., 1st place Pacific Division)

Playoffs: Lost in Round 3 in five games to the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Head Coach: Roy Sommer

Arena: SAP Center

ECHL Affiliation: Allen Americans

Offseason Moves: Brandon Bollig, Antoine Bibeau

The Case For: Nothing is a given, but with a team like the Barracuda who only lost 16 regulation games and have a future Hall of Fame Coach in Roy Sommer, you can pencil in San Jose as a playoff team now.

The Case Against: With all of that said, the Barracuda got shredded by the Griffins in the playoffs and a lot of weaknesses were exposed. Did other teams take notice?

Social Media: @SJBarracuda // /SJBarracuda // sjbarracuda

Broadcaster: Nick Nollenberger

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NHL Affiliation: Calgary Flames

Record: 34-25-7-2 (77 pts., 4th place Pacific Division)

Playoffs: Lost in Round 1 in five games to the San Jose Barracuda.

Head Coach: Ryan Huska

Arena: Stockton Arena

ECHL Affiliation: Kansas City Mavericks

Offseason Moves: Luke Gazdic, Marek Hrivik

The Case For: If you are looking for a sleeper team in the Pacific, the Heat should be a team to watch.

The Case Against: Any string of losses to a team that only plays 68 games with five other teams that play the same amount could be a big hole to dig out of.

Social Media: @AHLHeat // /AHLHeat // ahlheat

Broadcaster: Brandon Kisker

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NHL Affiliation: Dallas Stars

Record: 34-37-1-4 (73 pts., 7th place Pacific Division)

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: Derek Laxdal

Arena: H-E-B Center at Cedar Park

ECHL Affiliation: Idaho Steelheads

Offseason Moves: Mike McKenna, Greg Rallo, Brent Regner, Brian Flynn

The Case For: Texas is a team that missed playoffs last season in surprising fashion. With these offseason signings, don’t expect history to repeat itself.

The Case Against: Not exactly spring chickens brought in. Are the younger guys ready?

Social Media: @TexasStars // /TexasStars // txstarshockey

Broadcaster: Brien Rea

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NHL Affiliation: Phoenix Coyotes

Record: 29-31-8-0 (66 pts., 6th place Pacific Division)

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: Mike Van Ryn

Arena: Tucson Convention Center

ECHL Affiliation: Fort Wayne Komets

Offseason Moves: Mike Sislo, Andrew Campbell, Zac Larrazza, Zac Rinaldo.

The Case For: Last years pesky Roadrunners looked good out of the box but slowly ran out of gas. This is a team, like Stockton, worth keeping an eye on as the season progresses.

The Case Against: Four teams will make playoffs and four teams won’t. Right now, many have Tucson on the side that doesn’t make it in.

Social Media: @RoadrunnersAHL // /RoadrunnersAHL // roadrunnersahl

Broadcaster: Tom Callahan

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Back tomorrow with a look at the Central.